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Spike
| aliases = William Pratt; William the Bloody | series = Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel | image = | gender = | notability = | occupation = | race = | base of operations = Los Angeles, California; formerly Sunnydale; formerly England | known relatives = Anne Pratt (mother) | status = | born = 1850s | died = 2003 (resurrected that same year) | 1st appearance = "School Hard" | final appearance = "Not Fade Away" | actor = James Marsters }} William Pratt, best known by the nickname Spike, is a major supporting character featured in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel television franchises. He is played by American actor James Marsters. The character was introduced in the season two episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer entitled "School Hard". He was originally a villain on the series and became one of the quintessential "Big Bads" throughout the first few seasons. As the character grew in popularity, the show's producers veered him away from being an unrepetent evil character, turning him into a sort of anti-hero and an unofficial member of the so-called "Scooby Gang" (though he himself would never confess to having anything in common with any of them). By season four, Spike was a regularly credited cast member and remained on the show throughout it's duration. The character met an untimely end in the program's series finale "Chosen", but even death could not keep such a popular character down for long. He was later resurrected and became a regular cast member on the spin-off series Angel beginning with the season 5 premiere, "Conviction". Spike appeared in all 22 episodes of season 5 as well as 2 episodes from previous seasons where Marsters was billed as a guest-star. Although his television exploits had come to an end in 2003, the adventures of Spike continued in the pages of numerous novels and comic book series. He was featured in several of his own limited series and one-shot specials and was a recurring supporting cast member in the Angel: After the Fall comic book series by IDW Publishing. The character also appeared in two video games based upon the Buffy the Vampire Slayer mythos and was voiced by James Marsters in each of them. Biography Buffy season 2 Spike rolled into Sunnydale along with Drusilla and found the remnants of the Order of Aurelius, which was now led by the Annointed One, Collin. He knew that the Night of Saint Vigeous was approaching, which would enhance the preternatural physical prowess of all vampires and wanted to take advantage of this. Collin sought to benefit from Spike's presence as well. Hearing how he had killed two Slayers in his time, he prompted Spike to go after the newest member of the Slayer lineage, Buffy Summers - a task that Spike took to with great relish. Spike first encountered Buffy at The Bronze and took a moment to size her up. He even set a trap for her to test out her martial prowess. Spike later led a vampire raid at Sunnydale High School and the two fought for the first time. With a little help from her mother, Joyce Summers, Buffy succeeded in driving Spike off, and he returned to his lair to lick his wounds. Collin was very upset with Spike for failing to kill the Slayer, but Spike laughed at him, refusing to acknowledge the Annointed One's authority. He scooped him up, threw him into a steel cage and then exposed him to the rays of the sun, destroying him. With that act, Spike became the new leader of the vampire contingent in Sunnydale. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: School Hard Notes & Trivia * Spike's real name, William Pratt, may have been derived from William Henry Pratt, a silver screen actor of the horror genre best known by his screen name Boris Karloff. Key episodes * "School Hard" - First appearance. * "Seeing Red" - Attempts to rape Buffy. * "Grave" - Gets his soul back. * "Dirty Girls" - Has sex with Faith. * "Chosen" - Dies while saving Sunnydale. Related categories * Spike images * Spike appearances See also Buffy Angel External links * * Spike at Wikipedia * * References ---- Category:Supporting characters Category:Antagonists Category:James Marsters/Characters